The present invention relates to a credit card double authentication system for authenticating the use of a credit card twice, thereby preventing unauthorized use of the credit card.
Heretofore, various credit cards are issued that can be used at stores such as supermarkets and department stores. When a user wishes to purchase an item at a store using a credit card, the user presents the credit card at the register of the store at first, and then the personal number stored in the credit card and the price of the item are input at the register of the store. Since the only means for confirming at the store whether the credit card user is actually the authenticated card owner is the signature of the user, according to the conventional system, the credit card can be used by an unauthorized stranger. According further to the conventional system, the checkout of the item at the register of the store was time-consuming, and much manpower had to be placed at the register, increasing personnel costs required to operate the register. The high costs pushed up the costs of the items sold at the store, depriving the users of their rights to purchase items at moderate prices. Even further, if the user lost his/her credit card, he/she had to follow bothersome procedures, so the user was required to handle the credit card with much care.
The object of the present invention is to provide a credit card double authentication system that solves the above-mentioned problems of the prior art by providing a service that alternately carries out the management business of a personal ID of the credit card user and the card ID of the credit card, and thereby enables to perform management of the personal ID of the user and the card ID of the credit card at low cost. The present system comprises an individual authentication unit that performs at the time of purchase of an item by a user authentication of the card user utilizing a personal ID of the user in addition to the authentication of a card user using the card ID of the credit card. Thus, the present system authenticates the credit card twice, securely preventing unauthorized use of the credit card. According further to the present system, the items can be checked out quicker at the item checkout gate, and the item checkout gate can be unmanned, enabling efficient cut-down of personnel costs that lead to reduced prices of items. According to the present system, the credit card user is not required to follow bothersome procedures even when he/she lost his/her credit card, so the user can use the credit card without feeling anxious.
The credit card double authentication system according to the present invention comprises an item checkout gate, an ID authentication check/item checkout unit, a personal computer in an in-store card management section, an item ID assignment unit, a card management center and a credit card company, which are connected via a communication line so as to send and receive item information, characterized in comprising an individual authenticating unit having an identity authenticating function for performing identity authentication based on a card ID of a credit card used by a user upon purchasing a product and further performing identity authentication based on a personal ID of the user.
According to the present credit card double authentication system, it further comprises a function to record a card ID of a credit card that a user uses and a personal ID of the user to the customer database in the in-store card management section and in the card management center when a user uses a store.
According to the present credit card double authentication system, the item ID assignment unit comprises a function to assign an item ID to an item, and the store further comprises a function to register the item information and the item ID of the item to a database of the item ID assignment unit.
According to the present credit card double authentication system, the item checkout gate is equipped with a function to read in the card ID of the credit card used by the user, the personal ID of the user and the item ID assigned to the item at the time of purchase of the item, and to send the information to the ID authentication check/item checkout unit.
According further to the present credit card double authentication system, the ID authentication check/item checkout unit is equipped with a function to authenticate the use of the credit card upon receiving the card ID of the credit card and the personal ID of the user.
According to the present credit card double authentication system, the ID authentication check/item checkout unit is equipped with a function to read in the item information corresponding to the received item ID from a database and checking out the item after authenticating the use of the credit card.
According further to the present credit card double authentication system, the item checkout gate is equipped with a gate that can be opened and closed, and is further equipped with a function to close the gate and sound out an alarm when according to the authentication process it is determined that the credit card is not used by its owner.
According yet to the present credit card double authentication system, the item checkout gate is equipped with a function to issue a receipt when a receipt issue request from a user exists, and a function to issue a till receipt when there is no receipt issue request from the user.
According further to the present credit card double authentication system, the in-store card management section, the card management center and the credit card company makes an agreement to mutually send and receive a blacklist data intended to prevent unauthorized use of credit card, the card management center receiving the blacklist data through the communication line from the credit card company, and the card management center sending the blacklist data through the communication line to the in-store card management section and if necessary to the ID authentication check/item checkout unit.
According further to the present credit card double authentication system, the item checkout gate is equipped with a function to check the card ID of the credit card read at the gate with the blacklist data at the ID authentication check/item checkout unit at the time of purchase of an item by a user.
According to the present credit card double authentication system, the item checkout gate is further equipped with a function to output a notice reporting unauthorized credit card use if the card ID of the credit card read at the item checkout gate matches the blacklist data stored at the ID authentication check/item checkout unit or at the in-store card management section.
According to the present credit card double authentication system, the item checkout gate is equipped with a function to read in the card ID of the credit card and the personal ID of the user at the time of purchase of an item by the user, to send the card ID of the credit card through the communication line to the credit card company, and to receive the authentication result of the card ID of the credit card.